Blockbuster Dreams
New understanding of the biology behind a successful cancer therapy may lead to a drug that can treat an array of solid tumors
By Gary Stix
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
From the time it was approved in 1998, Genentech's Herceptin--a drug in the vanguard of the first generation of so-called targeted therapeutics--has achieved an impressive track record for a subset of breast cancer patients. Some patients who take it live longer and the size of their tumors is kept under better control than if they had received standard chemotherapy alone.
To develop Herceptin, researchers at Genentech drew on investigations into the molecular workings of a cancer cell. Some breast cancer cells stud their exterior with a surfeit of receptors that join in pairs to trigger a cascade of signals that cause the cells to replicate uncontrollably, develop resistance to chemotherapy and encourage the growth of blood vessels that promote the spread of tumor cells.
It’s Time to Stand Up for Science
If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.
I’ve been a Scientific American subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.
If you subscribe to Scientific American, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.
In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can't-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world's best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.
There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you’ll support us in that mission.
